Diamond Jack Sabbath
Jack Martin-Sabbath (born November 29, 1980), best known by his ring name Diamond Jack Sabbath is a British retired professional wrestler and color commentator best known for his time in the Xtreme Wrestling Alliance and In Your House Wrestling Federation. Sabbath has wrestled in many different promotions including the Xtreme Wrestling Association, Professional RPG Wrestling' '(PRW) and WFigs Wrestling Federation (WFWF).' He is best known for his participation in the 'Legion' angle, his year-long feud with Trace Demon and his "Innovator Of Anarchy" character in XWA. In IYHWF, he is known for his participation in the War Enforcement storyline. He is currently the only person to have won the world titles in both XWA and IYH, has won multiple awards for his work, and is considered an influential figure in XWA history. Early life Born an only child, Jack was raised in Salford, Manchester. He revealed in an interview in 2012 that he lived a somewhat troubled upbringing. While his mother died before he could really remember her, Jack's father- a notorious con artist- was disinterested in his sons' life and progress and would berate him constantly. Jack was expelled from his school at the age of 12, but never bothered to enroll into another. His father died a year later due to unexplained circumstances. Jack took refuge at a friend's house for the next few years, becoming a pick-pocket. Pick-pocketing eventually grew and soon he was stealing bigger things such as jewellery, a road that lead him to a five year prison sentence. Professional Wrestling Career Training Jack began training to become a wrestler after leaving prison, having discovered it during his sentence and deciding it was to be his next vocation. Jack trained at Skip's Scoop-Slam Academy. Jack discovered that using his intelligence to win matches was the best way to go and his strength and remarkable agility complemented this to create a truly unique wrestling-style. His trainer Skip Sanders noticed his talent and the two became heavily acquainted, Skip becoming Jack's promoter. After spending ten years on the independent circuit in the UK, Jack's parole was finally over and the two could move onto bigger and better things. Jack and Skip were signed onto a short term contract with Frontier Turbulence Wrestling in the United Kingdom. Frontier Turbulence Wrestling (2009) Jack debuted in FTW in September 2009 as a mute known as Jack 'The Python' Sabbath managed by Skip. Showing up during a hardcore title match, Jack powerbombed the Hardcore Champion Donny Jackass, costing him the title. A week later, Skip and Sabbath announced that they were here to take the FTW Undisputed Championship. This was until Donny Jackass decided he wanted revenge and attacked Sabbath. A match was scheduled which Sabbath won and caused a minor injury to Jackass. Sabbath continued to dominate, defeating jobbers in squash matches. Eventually Jack began to speak regularly and to the surprise of many, Jack was quite well spoken and ambitious. Soon though, Donny Jackass returned and sought revenge once again, this time outsmarting Sabbath. A cage match was scheduled at the next Pay Per View- Livewire- between the two. Despite a valiant effort, Jack was defeated. In November of that year, Jack decided FTW was not the career path he wanted to take despite Skip's attempts to make him think otherwise. Jack left FTW and parted ways with Skip as he left for the United States, signing with his first top promotion- the WFWF. WFigs Wrestling Federation (2009-10) Jack appeared in WFWF under a new ring name Diamond Jack Sabbath and employing a new persona, that of a villain with an obsession with control and power. Jack made his debut at WFWF Stars & Stripes 2009 in a battle royal to determine the no.1 contender for the WFWF World Champion. Jack was among the last to be eliminated. It was during this time Jack engaged in a short rivalry with Nathan Gust, however this did not last as Gust left WFWF before the feud could pick up properly. After a series of losses Jack began to blame management and booking for his losing streak. Eventually, Jack attacked Joe Bishop during a match on Loaded. The next week Joe would get his revenge in a match with Sabbath, the latter losing via pinfall. While Jack had been taking time off, WFWF had been having management problems, which led to the walk-out of Alex Sean. Jack was vocal on his reservations with how the company was run. On 26 May 2010, Jack quit the WFWF. Xtreme Wrestling Alliance (2009-Present) The Legion (2009-11) In the closing moments of XWA Final Countdown 2009, Jack (using his persona from WFWF) made an unscheduled appearance, announcing his contract with the newly reopened XWA. After a run-in with some XWA Alumni, Ciaren Donegan returned and helped Jack out. Jack told Ciaren of the things they could achieve together and the two formed the Legion, a heel faction intent on taking over XWA. Pretty soon Chris Chaos and Hunter Nicholson had joined as well. A couple of weeks later Amy Taylor became the group's valet and Jack's old associate Eddie Flitchcroft joined as 'The Secret Weapon'. By the first Massacre show, Legion was six strong. Attempting to recruit more members, the Legion were confronted by Hutton Brown who attempted to anger Jack. This lead to a fight and a further feud between the group and Brown. That same week, Jack paied a visit to the then-new General Manager Lucifer 'Mad Dog' McMahon's office, telling him to stay out of their way. This turned out to have been ignored by Lucifer as he had delivered a chairshot to Chris Chaos later on in the night. The next week, Legion confronted the Mad Dog, intending to get violent however this was not the case. Mad Dog struck a deal with the Legion. At Legends Mad Dog awarded the World Heavyweight Championship to Ciaren Donegan, a title which he retained later in the night against Hutton Brown. Jack won a tournament and was crowned the new Television Championship, however he would lose the belt a night later to Chris Chaos. After a couple of weeks Jack revealed he was taking order from another person and the Legion was not his idea. Soon there were talks of a man known as the Controller and something known as 'Operation 5:09'. The Legion took over Massacre for one night before Jack was kidnapped for an entire week by Tempest. A week prior to the kidnapping Jack had asked newcomer Jack Hazard to join the Legion. Hazard was unsure about this and did not answer, however it was Hazard who broke Jack out of the motel Tempest had him held in. Jack returned, battered and scarred after a self-inflicted beating to make Tempest look bad. That same night he lost a match against Rose for the T.V Title. After the match, the Controller told the Legion he was going to stop them. Jack dared the Controller to show his face next week, which the Controller agreed to however his Druids took Eddie and Hunter away, leaving Jack, Amy and Ciaren on their own. The next week, it was revealed at the end of the show that Eddie Flitchcroft was the Controller all along, masquerading as the lunatic Jack remembered him as when actually he was both cured and a changed man altogether. Revealing that he did it to outsmart Jack and show people he was fallible, Eddie embarked on a mission to show the Legion and XWA fans who Diamond Jack Sabbath "really was". At a full roster meeting, Ciaren- then XWA World Champion- left the Legion. Jack Hazard emerged and immediately joined the Legion. Jack announced this as a new beginning and christened the group as 'New Legion'. Over the next month, Drake Dysfunction and XWA legend Vestal joined the group and Raine debuted as a part of the group. Eddie Flitchcroft returned and swore he would take down the Legion and that he would do it through Amy Taylor, seeing her as a way to get information on the Legion's plans. Since the New Legion had been assembled, Jack and his new comrades defeated the Hounds from Hell (the offspring of The MadDog), Nightmare and Jack Mercy however Jack was still defeated by the XWA World Champion Rose and a returning Alex Sean in the Lord of the Ring tournament. Jack was then injured for two months by Tempest, who snapped his leg and forced him into a wheelchair. Rated X returned to the XWA with new recruits Hutton Brown andd Dan Bennett, XWA compiled some of its more loyal wrestlers and soon, a "Faction War" was declared. During this time Jack and the Legion attacked, kidnapped and terrorised opposing faction members and the people they cared about. Rated X would go on to win the war at XWA's "Christmas Kaos" event in 2010 in a "Winner Take All" bout. During the event, Jack Hazard walked out on the Legion and Satine X- a member at the time- defected to Rated X. Hazard announced his retirement on the following episode of Massacre, which the Legion responded to by viciously attacking him and leaving him in a pool of his own blood. From this point on, a decension in the Legion began to emerge. Jack Mercy was the first to question Sabbath, implying that Jack 'didn't actually care' about the other Legion members, to which Jack responded hinting this was true. Mercy was kicked out the group swiftly, followed by Creed. Trace Demon left on his own accord, betraying the group. At Legends 2011, it all came to afoot when DJS took on Hutton Brown. The stipulation was that if Sabbath lost, Legion was history. The remaining members of the group ran down and helped Hutton Brown defeat the Crown Jewel. Brown turned heel in joining with the Legion members however the actual group dispanded. Jack and his valet Amy Taylor decided to go it solo for the rest of their careers, considering putting together another Legion 'a waste of valuable time'. Premier Talent Contract/"Sabbath for Champion"/Gradual Face-Turn (2011) The night following Legends, Jack declared he would rebuild his career and head to the main event within the year whether the fans liked it or not. Literally minutes after saying that, Commissioner of the XWA Richard J Maxwell called a meeting with Diamond Jack Sabbath and Amy Taylor, where he placed them on the first ever 'Premier Talent Contract'. The following week, Jack and Amy would arrive on Massacre via limo. Jack began to wear suits, carry a cane, make television and radio appearances and became a 'company man', a very different contrast to what he was previously. Amy became Jack's 'Allocated Personal Assistant'. He had added several clauses to his contract: *Amy Taylor was the only person allowed to interview Jack in person and anyone who did interview him for whatever reason had to be provided 'Sabbath Approved' questions. *Amy would be the only person allowed to announce Jack to the ring. *Jack had to have pyro every single night or else the production crew would be fired on the spot. *His face would have to be on every publicity poster or video package in some form or another. *Jack had full permission to run his own 'announcement broadcasts' during any episode of Massacre, all paid for in advance by Richard J Maxwell. Jack began feuding with the recently returned Jack Hazard, who claimed to have returned because of the way Sabbath dismissed him from the company to exact his revenge. Hazard and Sabbath would fight sporadically throughout 2011 until the Winter when Hazard disappeared. Jack would slowly tone down the gimmick over time. At XWA's "''Grand Prix" Pay Per View event, world champion DGX was scheduled to face EBR, defending his title in a heavily publicised match. However the match never took place after DGX paid EBR off to keep his title. Controversy arose from all areas of the XWA after this, from the fans to the roster. Jack saw this as an opportunity to regain some exposure, as he began a campaign for a title shot in order to, as he put it, "return the title to it's former glory". Following this, Jack set up and online petition as well as a physical one which he took with him on his travels. Every week, Jack would do something different. One week he had an interview with fellow wrestler Derrick Jedi about the campaign (as much as Jedi mocked him for it), he appeared on the red carpet at the premier of Warrior, managing to squeeze a petition signing out of the film's star Tom Hardy, he invaded the parking lot outside a WFWF event where he proclaimed his cause via a megaphone. He handed leaflets, badges and other trinkets out to fans as he entered matches. The campaign was wrecked when Jack Hazard returned and destroyed Jack's petition, setting the whole thing back to the start. Jack was at square one again, however the points he had made in his otherwise disingenuous cause had earned him an audience and a fan-base, as was apparent when Jack tried to escape an arena after a Massacre show was cancelled via an earthquake and was instead stopped by a crowd of fans wanting his autograph. Over the next few weeks, tension began to arise between Jack and his commissioner Richard J Maxwell, who had decided he was content with the current affairs in the XWA no matter how controversial they were. As long as they got ratings then nothing was going to change. Jack, at the time going through perhaps the worst point of his career, opposed this and very quietly an army of fans began to rally behind him. Maxwell ignored Jack's pleas however, and continued on. Jack had by this point worked out that the Premier Talent Contract was a ploy by Maxwell to keep Jack in check and stop him from doing anything that he considered "rebellious". During the time, there was a poll to find the next no.1 contender for the world title. It was through this Jack saw his opening. Jack used the remaining hatred of the fans to get out of his Premier Talent contract due to a stipulation that had gotten Maxwell to agree to- if he didn't win the poll, he would lose the PTC and go back to his regular contract. Jack went online and verbally assaulted Maxwell and his PTC in his own official blog, calling Maxwell 'discusting' and 'a Nazi' and telling the fans he already had not to vote for him. As planned, he did not garner enough votes and was released from his PTC live on Pay Per View at "Hardkore Halloween". Jack used this opportunity to go off on an almost shoot-like promo aimed at Maxwell, who was stood in the ring with him right there listening. Jack decreed that he had made the XWA 'boring' and 'corporate' and said he remembered exactly why he lead the Legion. Jack declared himself as the "Innovator of Anarchy" and said he would bring anarchy back to the XWA as he climbed to the very top and achieved his destiny of becoming champion, a destiny that Maxwell had held him back from. He went on to tell any opposers to "Just...Run", a saying that would become his first major and popular catchphrase. Jack would spend the next few months dominating any competition that was put in front of him (one night even defeating three opponents one after the other) and tormenting Maxwell. In December, Jack made a deliberate attempt garner any attention he could from Angelus, the XWA world champion of the time. In interviews Jack described him as a 'fasincation' of his and said that he had studied him for years, sighting it as a dream match to get in the ring with him. Angelus was undefeated since he had won the belt, and Jack saw this as a great opportunity to put himself on the map. He challenged Angelus to a match at the XWA Evolution Pay Per View in 2012 and told him he would be the man to beat him finally. Angelus ignored him for a while until the go-home Massacre to the Pay Per View, where he attacked Jack and Amy backstage, telling Jack he had no personal reason to face him so he instead decide to create a personal reason for Jack to face him. At Evolution, Jack and Angelus finally met in the ring. The match was billed as a true Dream Match, and was given the tagline of "Unstoppable vs. Unbreakable" each representing Angelus and Sabbath respectively. A gruelling match took place, and interferences from Maxwell, Amy, Gillian Hart (Angelus' wife) and Jack's trainer Skip Sanders all played into the match. Angelus beat down Jack to the point of the latter losing a back tooth, but the Crown Jewel just wouldn't give in. At the end of the match, Jack finally captured his first XWA World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Angelus with the Delicate Sound of Anarchy (a shooting star press). Jack celebrated in the ring with everyone from Skip's wrestling school and Amy in a moment that is now hailed as one of the greatest in recent XWA history. World Heavyweight Champion/ The End of Regular Run (2012-13) As Jack became adjusted to becoming champion, his next adversary would be XWA's second most popular babyface Dan Bennett. Jack had declared his winning of the title and the subsequent retirement of Angelus as a sign that a new era had begun, one he named the "Era of Anarchy". Bennett, who's popularity had risen in a way akin to Jack's own had just ended his feud with Rose and was keen to go on and challenge for the world title. Sabbath felt he was still considered second to Bennett in terms of status despite winning the world title, and Dan believed that it was finally his time to win the title and it was the only thing he was there for. The crowd was split- half were in favor of Dan while the other half were in favor of Sabbath, unlike any feud either man had been involved in before. It was finally decreed by both men that they would meet in the ring for the first time ever at Legends and the world title that Jack had won would be on the line. In the end it was Bennett who came out supreme and won the title from Sabbath after a gruelling encounter. Meanwhile, it seemed something else was occupying Jack's time. Not even a week after Jack won the title, a message was left to him in the form of a man who had been knocked out-cold and branded with the Legion insigna, akin to the attacks that Legion would perform two years prior. Jack decided he would get to the bottom of this and find out who it was. Two weeks later he violently interrogated Eddie Flitchcroft in a dark and locked room backstage, who was now working as a cameraman for the XWA. For the first time, Jack showed real uncertainty while he demanded that Eddie fear him. Amy stopped the interrogation before it could go any further by knocking on the door having seen the entire thing outside on a television backstage. She convinced Jack that it wouldn't help to interrogate people like he had with Eddie because it could land them in trouble and get them both fired. They decided to wait it out because eventually the person would have to reveal themselves. Inevitably enough after Jack had shockingly announced to the world that he would be retiring from in-ring competition at Legends 2013, the person revealed himself to be Trace Demon- leader of the Cult of Tomorrow, who decreed that in Jack's judgement day had come. Over the next few months, Trace and the Cult of Tomorrow would antagonise Jack week after week, going after those he cared about. First, they turned Jack's trainer Skip Sanders on him during ther first match at XWA's Hutton Brown Extravaganza, which Jack won. Skip stated the reason for his turn was due to the fact Jack had treated him like nothing for years and he was sick of it. Next, they kidnapped Amy Taylor at WrestleCon and set Jack up on a wild goose-chase to find her. He did eventually find her but the whole thing would serve as a foreshadowing to what would next occur. Trace and Jack would face at Hardkore Halloween with a special stipulation. If Jack lost, Trace Demon would win the opportunity to have a World Heavyweight Championship match whenever he wanted. If Jack won though, Amy would be released from her contract. Jack went into this apparent one-sided battle and lost. However, it appeared Trace had lied and Amy was released anyway. On the next show, Jack would emerge angry and feral, taking out an entire security team and attacking Skip viciously, hanging him upside down on the ropes and battering him senseless with a crowbar. The next week, he would attack Eddie Flitchcroft, who was now going by the name Levi Hallows. On the third week, Jack challenged Trace to one final match, to which the King of Demons agreed. They would face at Kaos 2013 in a No-Rules Ladder Match, which won Match of the Year in the Piledriver Awards. Trace would be victorious, but Jack would go on to face his final opponent, Jack Hazard at Legends '13. He was victorious. Jack would go on to replace MadDog on color commentary on Massacre as well as provide Play-by-Play on XWA Genesis, the company's developmental show. Around September 2013, Jack went missing from Genesis tapings and was replaced with Dan Bennett on commentary. A few days later it was announced Jack had asked for his release from XWA, and many speculated this was in response to the return of Richard J Maxwell, who revealed himself as the mastermind and leader of Whisper's War. General Manager of the XWA/Heel Turn (2014-16) At the XWA's Legends In London pay per view, Diamond Jack Sabbath made his return to the ring and faced off against Ace Andrews. Following his return, it was revealed Jack had now signed a new two-year contract with the Xtreme Wrestling Alliance with Amy Taylor once again as his manager for the duration. Sabbath would feud briefly with Joey Edwards, who was victorious in their feud. Sabbath went on a losing streak and following a loss to Edwards at XWA Revenge in July, Sabbath disappeared without explanation. In September, Jack was announced as the new General Manager of the XWA and this would begin the "Sabbath Regime". He would be accompanied by Whisper and Raine as his "War Enforcement" brigade, and Amy Taylor as his Personal Assistant. Sabbath's first act was to remove disqualification and count-out rules from all XWA matches, a decision that was polarising at best. He then reinstated the XWA Gladitorial title in place of the Television Championship. Over the weeks leading up to Hardcore Reniassance, Jack began showing signs that the power given to him as General Manager was going to his head, and he would start to make up unethical rules and strange, volatile decisions. Professional PRG Wrestling (2012) In the week leading up to PRW's "Apocalypse" show in April 2012, wrestling news sites had rumored that Jack was interested in signing with Professional RPG Wrestling, sighting it as the only big company he had yet to appear for. On April 8 during the "Apocalypse" broadcast, a video package was aired hyping up the debut of Diamond Jack Sabbath and Amy Taylor, thus confiming reports. He was on an open, "PPV only" contract deal, which still allowed him to appear regularly for XWA TV shows, Pay Per Views and house shows. He made his in-ring debut at Superbattle in May 2012, where he faced former Legion member "The Godfather" Vincenzo Savonarola, which went to a no-contest. Mid West Wrestling (2012) On the 13th of July 2012, it was announced that Diamond Jack Sabbath had signed with Mid West Wrestling, a smaller promotion in comparison to the XWA but a promotion nonetheless. Having been open for business literally only a few days, Jack made it known via a promo that he would be coming to MWW on a quest to become it's first World Champion. On the first card he was booked in the main event in a cage match against Parker Wade, match that was part of the world title tournament. Eventually MWW went defunct and no champion was ever crowned. Sporadic appearances in Xtreme Wrestling Association (2012-13) Through the summer of 2012, Diamond Jack Sabbath made a few appearances in the Xtreme Wrestling Association, facing people such as Mack, Ace Andrews and Kanimaniac. There was a planned heel run for DJS, however plans didn't come off. Sabbath would make a one-off return for the fiftieth episode of Vendetta ''in 2013, defeating Kenny Kasual. Return to WFWF (2015) Five years to the day of his original appearance, it was announced Diamond Jack Sabbath would return to the WFWF, this time with Amy Taylor by his side. Sabbath made his return at The Clash in London, England facing off with Daniel Kirkbride and Axel Thornstowe in a triple-threat match. He did not score the pin, but offered a very strong showing. His first win would be against former WFWF World Heavyweight Champion Dex. After several weeks of domination, Sabbath earned himself a shot at the National Championship, a shot he has yet to take a time of writing. During the spring, DJS formed an alliance with WFWF mainstay Jayson Garrett after the latter's partner Chase Landon went missing in action. Personal life In 2013, Jack married the former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Amy Taylor-Sabbath, a woman of whom he has been romantically involved with since 2010. She was his valet for the majority of his run in XWA and has become a fixture of his character ever since. He is a proud Manchester United fan, a feat her shares with fellow XWA alumni Chris Novak. In Wrestling *'Finishing moves **'The Crown Kick ''(Roundhouse Kick to Head)'' **Ankle Lock **'Diamond's Wrath'' (Triple Powerbomb, used 2009-2012)'' *'Signature moves' **Double A Spinebuster **Spinning Side-Slam **European Uppercut **Powerslam **Bicycle Kick *'Managers' **Amy Taylor-Sabbath (XWA, PRW, MWW, N.E.W, WFWF) 2010-2016''' ' ** Anthony 'Skip' Sanders (FTW, XWA)- 2009 *'Nicknames''' **'"The Beating Heart of the XWA"' **'"The Innovator Of Anarchy"' **"The God of All Anarchy" **"The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling" **"The Man Who Comes Back" **"The Diamond King" **"The Lord Of Diamonds" **"The Sabbath Day's Witness" *'Entrance themes' **'"No More Heroes" by The Stranglers' **"Sound of Madness" by Shinedown **"Personal Jesus" by Marilyn Manson **"Gimmie The Prize" by Queen **"Lose Yourself (Rock Remix)" by Eminem **"I'd Start a Revolution" by Aimee Allen **"Another Way To Die" by Alicia Keys and Jack White **"Prelude 12/21" by A.F.I Championships and Accomplishments Xtreme Wrestling Alliance *XWA World Heavyweight Championship *XWA Television Championship *"Best Heel" Award- XWA Piledriver Awards 2011 *"Best New Talent" Award- XWA Piledriver Awards 2011 *"Moment of the Year" Award for DJS wins World Title- XWA Piledriver Awards 2012 *"Match of the Year" Award for DJS vs. Trace Demon, Kaos 2013- XWA Piledriver Awards 2013 *"Feud of the Year" Award for Sabbath/Demon- XWA Piledriver Awards 2013 *"Best Finisher" Award for The Crown Kick- XWA Piledriver Awards 2013 *"Most Creative Roleplayer" Award- XWA Piledriver Awards 2013 *"Best Face" Award- XWA Piledriver Awards 2013 *"Storyline of the Year" Award for the Sabbath/Cult of Tomorrow saga- XWA Piledriver Awards 2012 External links XWA BattleZone Profile http://www.xwabattlezone.com/XWA/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=34 Category:Wrestlers